LUXE Serendipity magazine

Step into Narnia and roam the landscapes that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, travelling from snow-dusted forests to the rolling plains of Middle-earth in a single day. Along the winding paths of the Malvern Hills, they walked together beneath skies that once stirred Elgar’s melodies. Local legend whispers of a fog-shrouded gas lamp that sparked Lewis’s vision of Narnia, while the hills themselves are said to have shaped Tolkien’s epic worlds.

Malvern is the place where C.S. Lewis was inspired to write the opening of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after seeing a gas lamp glowing in the snow outside a Malvern pub. J.R.R. Tolkien, a close friend of Lewis, also visited the Malvern Hills in the 1930s, where the landscape is believed to have inspired Middle-earth’s White Mountains. Great Malvern has an abundance of Victorian architecture and has been a popular tourist destination since the days of the Victorian Water Cure – the Malvern Spring Water for medicinal purposes attracted the likes of Florence Nightingale and Charles Darwin, and the town has 109 Victorian gas lamps, and its oldest pub is The Unicorn.

Tucked away in the rolling Malvern Hills, whose misty scenery once inspired the imaginations of literary giants J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, lies The Cottage in the Wood, a secluded yet renowned foodie retreat.

We arrived by nightfall in January, a season made for retreat and renewal, settling into the Cottage in the Wood before beginning a seven-course tasting at 1919 – an opening act that set the tone for a quietly indulgent escape.

The cottage’s story is as intriguing as its setting. Julia and Nick Davies, once management consultants living in Shoreditch, stumbled across the historic hotel on the return leg of a business trip. The cottage was a favourite of Margaret Thatcher and Adam Ant, Felicity Kendall, Charlie Watts from The Who and Joan Collins have all stayed here.

Without prior experience in hospitality, they took a leap of faith, purchasing the property in 2015 and The Cottage in the Wood became their canvas to blend fine dining, natural beauty, and relaxed luxury into a singular experience.

There are 32 rooms spread across three cottages, and we chose the best category. Ours was in the same building as the restaurant up the stairs and past the Vanity Fair pictures. Room one opens up an inviting space with a wardrobe-  of course, filled with tea and coffee making facilities and a safe and space to hang one’s clothes. There is also a master bedroom and a huge, sweeping window with a patio window that opens out onto Narnia. The bathroom had a huge tub set on clawed feet, perfect for an indulgent soak with Bramley amenities.

We had just enough time to get changed before we headed down to the acclaimed triple AA 1919 Restaurant, led by Head Chef Tom Abbot. The restaurant is named after the year the hotel first opened and has only twelve coveted seats available for dining here three nights a week. It feels more like being invited into a private culinary performance than to a restaurant. Abbot, who trained in Michelin-starred kitchens brings a wealth of influences to his dishes.

At 1919, each plate is a story told through seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. The chef’s philosophy is simple: start with the best possible product, let it shine, and build around it. Weekly chats with local farmers, fishmongers, and butchers dictate what’s featured on the tasting menu. “If the quail is exceptional this week, that becomes the starter,” he says. This spontaneity ensures continual creativity, guided by quality and seasonality.

A seven-course tasting menu awaited, accompanied by a wine flight – the banquet costs £95, and the wine flight is an additional £50 per person. We started with snacks of smoked eel wrapped in caviar and Granny Smith custard, cheese sable, black fillet, and a beef-filled tart, all exquisitely prepared.

Then we enjoyed an appetiser of sourdough bread served with Ampersand butter, washed down with a glass of Pierre Mignon champagne.

Next, we enjoyed salt-baked beetroot with goat’s curd and pumpkin seeds, washed down with Sauvignon Blanc. This was followed by a grilled Cornish Mackerel with avocado and lime dukkah, accompanied by an Albarino. This satiated us before the main course of honey-glazed duck breast, accompanied by a Carignan and Chicory, Gnocchi and Celeriac.

A British and French cheese plate is an optional course – an additional £14 to share.

The pre-dessert of Rose Geranium, Lychee, and Coconut was a light, delicious way to clear the palate and featured small beads that burst in your mouth.

Then the final piece was the Chocolate Delice with Clementine, washed down with a Monbazillac, and to finish were Petit Fours.

Potts’ passion for refinement runs through the seven-course tasting menu, particularly his fish dish, which draws on techniques learned at Noma and uses intricate curing methods rarely seen outside elite European kitchens. Every element reflects the purity of the surrounding hills. “The landscape inspires my food,” he says. “I want dishes that feel light, balanced and deeply flavoured.”

That sense of calm extends beyond the plate. Guests dine while taking in sweeping views across the Severn Valley, an experience Abbot describes as central to his cooking philosophy. Alongside the intimate 1919 Restaurant, the Davieses are expanding with a forthcoming Brasserie – a more relaxed space offering elevated comfort dishes, including a refined Cottage Pie made with slow-cooked beef shin and a light, secret mousse. It has twice been awarded Worcestershire Restaurant of the Year, and it featured in the Michelin Guide 2025.

The team has earned three AA Rosettes, though Abbot sees this as “just the beginning.”

The next morning, we rose early and opened up the windows to behold Malvern in all its beauty. The hotel is set on a hill above the spa town of Malvern, with eight acres of woodland rising behind it.  This is a place that offers the good stuff – delicious food, deep sleep and dramatic views. The hotel is a place with no itinerary, no agenda, and just space to be, and before you leave, you must try the Brasserie’s three-course lunch.

But we were here for the fitness, too, and after breakfast we pulled on our hiking boots, walked in the hills, witnessed the most spectacular sunrise worthy of the Chronicles of Narnia, filled our lungs, and got in our daily steps. It was a clear day, and we planned to walk all the way up to the ridge at the hill’s summit.  From here all is peaceful, and well, if you are looking for a winter soujourn, this is the place to come – where only wellness and mindfulness exist, and the cacophony of the world can be drowned out.

On our way home, we decided to stop in Malvern – a unique place made up of three town centres: Great Malvern, Barnards Green and Malvern Link. Great Malvern still has a lot of Victorian architecture – and old antique shops, quirky boutiques and dusty bookshops where you can get lost.

This is a town of true creatives. Malvern hosts world-class productions, including West End shows, and has strong literary connections. Great Malvern is also home to the Theatre of Small Convenience – the smallest theatre in the world, recognised by the Guinness Book of Records for being the world’s smallest commercial theatre. Founded in 1997 by puppeteer Dennis Neale in a former Victorian toilet, it seats only 12 people.

You simply must visit the Malvern Fountain to sample some of the local H2O and also look out for the Malvern Wall Dressing and Water Festival, as well as the Water Cure Cocktail bar.

Great Malvern Priory is home to the oldest medieval stained-glass window in England and is open Monday to Saturday, available.

Malvern’s artistic heritage is equally rich. The Winter Gardens (now Malvern Theatres) opened in 1885 to entertain wealthy visitors. George Bernard Shaw and Sir Edward Elgar, who was born nearby in Broadheath. The town has a strong motor heritage as the home of the Morgan Motor Company, which has made handcrafted cars since 1910. Today, visitors can tour the Morgan Experience Centre and even hire a Morgan directly from the factory.

Fact Box

A one-night B&B stay in a ‘Cosy Room’ at The Cottage in the Wood, Malvern (www.cottageinthewood.co.uk) is priced from £104 per night for two adults sharing. The best category in the low season starts from £177 per night for two adults sharing. To book a table in 1919 Restaurant or The Brasserie and / or organise a stay, please call 01684 588 860 or email reception@cottageinthewood.co.uk.